The Flourish Magazine: a brand new physical magazine about cardistry

[EndersGame]

The Flourish Magazine Launch Issue

Many readers here may be familiar with the name Biz and Friends, which is the online home of Elisav Bizau.  Biz is passionate about all things playing cards, especially magic and cardistry.  He's already made numerous great contributions to the industry in all three areas: playing cards, card magic, and card flourishing.  His outstanding The Magicians Playing Cards are a tribute to the gold age of magic, and are one of my favourite decks.

But Biz has surpassed himself with his latest creation: a physical magazine dedicated to the art of cardistry: The Flourish Magazine Launch Issue.  We're talking about something that is A4 sized, full colour, over 100 pages, and professionally produced.  When I first held a copy in my hands and paged through it, I was blown away by the quality of the graphic design, presentation, content, and contributors.  It's fantastic, and this is an absolute "must have" for anyone who considers themselves a cardist.



As Biz explains in the first article, this cardistry magazine has been 12 years in the making, and it stands on the shoulders of several previous attempts he made to produce a magazine dedicated to cardists.  But this time he decided to go all out, by involving a team of some of the best cardists he could find as contributors, and to produce it professionally as a physical magazine of the highest quality.

He has succeeded admirably, and it's hard to think of a physical cardistry magazine that could be better than this.  Just take a look at the flashy and professionally produced cover:



And this isn't window dressing, because the quality of the looks and graphic design inside stays at this level throughout.
Here's an overview of some of the contents you can expect to find inside:



It's quickly obvious that Biz has managed to get some really big names involved.  There's an article by Kevin Ho, a massive interview with Huron Low from The Virts, and interviews with Patrick Varnavas from the channel bestcardistalive, and playing card designers like Luke Wadey.  My favourite read was the epic interview about The Virts, which shared all kinds of juicy details about their journey into cardistry, and how they have developed as a group, and how they executed their vision in creating a custom deck optimized specifically for cardistry.

But there are also very practical articles.  I especially enjoyed "Introducing Laymen to Cardistry" by Christiaan Hau, which gives excellent tips about how to go about explaining our passion to complete newbies in a very sensible way.  Yang Nguyen rows against the stream of popular opinion in his article entitled "Gatekeeping", where he makes a careful and convincing case that we shouldn't require permission to teach moves of other creators, as long as we give appropriate credit.  As he reminds us, cardistry is different than magic, so the same rules about secrecy don't apply in the same way, and we should look at the larger picture of what will help cardistry to grow and advance.



I personally have a love for artwork made with playing cards, and the article by Michael Warneke on this subject was of real interest to me.  I also really enjoyed the interview with designer Luke Wadey, where he covered the main series of decks he has produced so far.

In all cases, there's a mass of gorgeous colour pictures to accompany the written text, and even full-colour full-page spreads.  I can't say enough about how professional the layout and design looks, and how this makes reading everything an absolute pleasure.  The magazine has been produced with the support of several sponsors, so there are also ads from familiar names like King's Wild Project, Kardify, and 52 Plus Joker.  I'm sure that without their support, this wouldn't have been anywhere near as flash.



Of course, all the good looks won't help if the content is only mediocre, but that's not at all the case.  From beginning to end, I never felt that I was sitting down with an amateur, but was at the feet of true professionals and experts, who were sharing from their wealth of wisdom and experience.

But doesn't anything cardistry related require videos to be best enjoyed?  This magazine doesn't entirely discard that, because in several places you'll find a QR Code that will bring you to a video.  For example, the section about cardist Nikita Yatsik includes explanations for five of his moves, and these are all accompanied with video tutorials.


If you love cardist, you'll absolutely love this.  And the good news is that the plan is for this to be an annual magazine.  I'm already excited about next year's Issue 2!  Let's make sure that this terrific contribution to the world of cardistry gets the support and love it deserves, and that it generates some real momentum, so that we can continue to see something of this quality on a yearly basis.  Bravo Biz and friends!

Get it here: https://bizandfriends.com/products/the-flourish-magazine-launch-issue

View 40 sample pages here: https://issuu.com/bizandfriends/docs/the_flourish_samplez

[EndersGame]

The Flourish Magazine (x Cardtopia Special Edition)

Just 3 or 4 months ago, Biz released his terrific cardistry magazine, The Flourish Launch Issue.  It instantly made a very positive impression, with a physical magazine that consisted of over 100 pages of quality content, with quality presentation in every way.

The plan was to release this on an annual basis, so it was a real surprise to hear that an interim issue had come out, albeit smaller in size (38 pages), but with content of an equally high standard, if not even better.  It was a collaboration with the folks behind Cardtopia, hence the title of this issue: The Flourish x Cardtopia (Special Ed.)

Once again it all begins with a professionally produced cover:



I've just finished reading through my copy, and it's absolutely outstanding!

The contents page looks very impressive:



Here's a short text-based overview of some of the contents you can expect to find inside:



All this content is terrific, and the entire magazine is a wonderful resource that cardists are going to love.  The article on different uses for playing cards was really interesting, as was the one about the history and value of conventions.

I also loved the longer articles: an interview with Noel Heath, Shivraj doing a deep dive on Cardestroy, Daniel Lin from Lotusinhand discussing their thinking behind playing cards and design, and a shorter overview by Linus Schmidt about the brand Komorebi.

And as a playing card buff, I also enjoyed the time-line poster about the history of playing cards. All the articles were really well done from beginning to end.



Everything about it is superb, including the physical presentation.  The graphic design and pictures is stellar, and for a physical magazine it looks visually impressive and clean.

Using QR codes to link directly to youtube videos and more is a terrific idea. 

I continue to be blown away by the quality of this magazine, and anyone with a love for cardistry should go check it out, and support the creators, so that we can see more of this in the future.



Biz and Friends have done an excellent job all round with this Cartopia collaboration, and I highly recommend this beautiful magazine for anyone interested in cardistry. 

Get it here: https://bizandfriends.com/products/the-flourish-x-cardtopia-special-ed

View some sample pages here: https://issuu.com/bizandfriends/docs/cardtopia_ed

[Don Boyer]

Did you manage to get your copy by attending Cardtopia '23?  It was an excellent convention, although perhaps a little short.


I'm eagerly awaiting the announcement of the dates and location for Cardtopia '24!  I heard that New York City is under consideration for its second such convention, but there are also people wanting to hold it in Erlanger, KY, perhaps in hopes of being able to include a factory tour.  Either way, I'm eager to go.


I managed to get a VIP ticket last year, upgraded to include a two-night hotel stay - while the rooms were small, they were well-appointed and (considering the neighborhood) a bargain for the price.  It was a pleasure not having to return home between the VIP cocktail party and the day's events, as well as the "after party" I attended.


I can't recommend it strongly enough - if you have a chance to go to Cardtopia and you enjoy all things cards, GO!  Get the best ticket you can afford - the VIP tickets weren't cheap, but so much was included, that in the end it was really a savings compared to what you'd pay on your own out of pocket.  Prepare to spend a lot - USPC and Cartamundi had some excellent and rare finds available in their merchandise shop.  I now practically have a full wardrobe of USPC/Cartamundi t-shirts!  And there were decks there that are nearly impossible to find elsewhere, some of which at very reasonable prices.


I know - I'm a little off-topic!  I will say they had copies of Flourish special edition for free, and there's a page inside for collecting autographs of your favorite presenters.  Many of the lecturers and performers were mingling with the attendees before and after their events - it was a golden opportunity, to be sure.

[EndersGame]

The Flourish Magazine (Issue II)

When the fantastic Launch Issue of The Flourish magazine was released in September 2023, it came with the promise that the goal was to publish a new issue every year.  Considering the quality of the production and content of the first issue, this seemed like wishful thinking and a tough assignment. 

Yet before the year 2023 ended, we'd already seen a Special Edition as part of a collaboration with Cardtopia.  And right now we're barely into the second half of 2024, and not even a full year has passed since the launch issue, and the next full-sized issue is already getting into our hands!  You can get it over on Biz's website here: The Flourish Magazine II.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this newest issue, because it's a real treat, that is every bit as terrific as the ones that have preceded it.  As with previous issues, it's a physical magazine with a impressive presentation all round, starting with the front cover.



Once again we have some marvellous content, with about 80 pages of full-colour goodness. 

Things kick off with a great article from noted cardist Jaspas, about how important community is for cardistry.



Community is the theme for this issue, and the article by Mattis and Nick about Europe's biggest cardistry event, Cardistry Experience, was a terrific read. 

These guys started from scratch, and things only get better and bigger with each convention they run. 



I always enjoy the feature articles and deep dive interviews with some key figures in the industry.  The first of these is an extensive interview with Charles Levin from Shuffled Ink, a playing card manufacturer based in Florida.  It was fantastic to read about the steps he took ahead of COVID that enabled his business to boom, and how his focus on family and customer service has really paid off. 

The detailed interview with Jed from RunIt Playing Cards, based in the Philippines, gives an excellent insider perspective on setting up a playing card shop. 

One of the things Biz does best is covering playing card brands, and the deep dive with Hai Do and Matthias Berger from Somnium Cards is fantastic.



Also fascinating was a feature article with Matthew Hiebert about the making of his brand Aroundsquare. Strictly speaking they focus on skill toys like begleri and knucklebones.  But as I discovered, these dexterity toys share a lot in common with cardistry, and  I really enjoyed thinking about ways that we can learn from a crossover discipline that is so closely linked to card flourishing.  I found myself checking out some videos of these skill toys online, and felt like I'd discovered one of cardistry's close cousins that I never new existed.

Another great read is a lengthy interview with LocalThunk, creator of the popular video card game Balatro.  Once again this is a subject that feels like a sideways move from playing cards, but the viral success of this game certainly owes its origins in playing cards, and was interesting to learn about.



There are many other smaller articles.  These include a couple of great first-hand pieces about aesthetics, movement, and flow, from magician Yoann Fontyn and cardist Loan Priano, including QR codes that will send you directly to video tutorials for two of Loan's productions. 

Almost everyone reading this review will be familiar with the famous Butterfly Playing Cards.  If so, you're certain to enjoy the interview with their designer, Stefan Eriksson.

Kevin Ho has a great article called "Cardistry Roulette", sharing ideas for a simple cardistry game that can force you to stretch your creativity and come up with new cardistry moves. 

Under the heading "Humans of Cardistry", there are short intros to a couple of cardists from Germany.



The spotlight cardist for this issue is Nathan Hu.  Besides a collectible card featuring Nathan, there's eight pages devoted to an interview with him, as well as an introduction to four of his moves, each of which has a QR code that brings you to an unlisted video on Youtube that teaches you each of these.  I especially enjoyed the flair of his Poptropica move, and his Tectonic move is a four packet structure that looks super smooth.  I was pleased to discover that these moves (along with Hinge Theory and Two Fold, the other two moves taught) aren't knacky moves reserved for experts, but should easily be within the abilities of most cardists to learn fairly quickly and easily.

The bar was set high with previous issues, so my expectations were high for this newest issue of The Flourish.  But Biz continues to surprise, and what he puts out has again exceeded my expectations.  Everything is outstanding, starting with the graphic design and physical presentation, as well as the content of the articles.



The Flourish Magazine is a must have for anyone who is passionate about playing cards and cardistry, and wants to pick up some solid reading material that will inspire and educate.

Get the latest issue of The Flourish magazine:

https://bizandfriends.com/products/the-flourish-magazine-issue-ii